Welsh boxer Joe Cordina has revealed that he has been offered a potential dream matchup against legendary eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, with the bout targeted for the undercard of the long-awaited, blockbuster all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury this December.
The 34-year-old former two-time super-featherweight world champion confirmed that he has already given his green light to face the Filipino icon at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, his home city. However, while Cordina has expressed his enthusiastic willingness to take on the challenge, he noted that formal contracts have not yet been signed by either camp. Sky Sports has approached Pacquiao’s representatives for comment regarding the prospective matchup.
For Cordina, the opportunity to share the squared circle with a fighter of Pacquiao’s stature transcends the traditional pursuit of world championship belts, even though he remains deeply ambitious about adding further titles to his resume.
"I’ve been offered the fight," Cordina told Sky Sports. "They asked me if I’d fight Pacquiao: this is what the deal is, otherwise they’re going to offer it to someone else. ‘Of course’, I said, ‘No problem’. I’ve won world titles, and don’t get me wrong, I want to win more. But, for me, the name of Manny Pacquiao at this present moment is bigger than any name in boxing."
Pacquiao, widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, remains an influential and globally recognized figure, though his storied career is undoubtedly nearing its final chapter. Cordina emphasized the fleeting nature of having active legends still lace up their gloves in the modern era.
"He’s an eight-division world champion, a legend," Cordina said. "But a global superstar like him will be gone in the next year or so. So for me to be able to share the ring with someone who I grew up watching before I even started boxing, it would be an honour."
Despite the massive appeal of the matchup, Cordina remains grounded about the administrative reality of professional boxing negotiations. He stressed that while the initial terms have been discussed and verbally accepted on his end, nothing is set in stone until pen is put to paper.
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near done," Cordina added. "I haven’t been sent a contract, I haven’t been sent anything and I haven’t been told yet it’s happening. I’ve been offered it, I’ve said yes, agreed everything and I’m now just waiting for them to either tell me yes or no? I’m training as if I am fighting Manny Pacquiao. I’ve been training for the last four or five weeks. If the phone rings, I know I’m ready."
The potential bout raises questions regarding Pacquiao’s current competitive form, given that the Filipino star is now 47 years old and operating well past the absolute peak of his athletic powers. However, Cordina pointed to Pacquiao’s most recent outing—a high-profile WBC welterweight title clash against Mario Barrios in July 2025 that ultimately ended in a contentious draw—as evidence that the veteran still possesses elite-level traits.
"They had a draw but, to be honest, I thought he [Pacquiao] nicked it," Cordina said of the bout against Barrios. "I’ve seen loads of people be like, ‘Why are you fighting Manny Pacquiao? He’s an old man’. But the last thing to go is power. You see him on the bags and he’s still got speed, he’s still sharp and his footwork is still there. Yes, his timing might be off – he hasn’t been in the ring for a year and a half – and that might be the thing that is his undoing."
Despite any concerns over ring rust or the natural degradation of timing that comes with extended inactivity, Cordina believes Pacquiao’s vast reservoir of experience makes him a dangerous opponent for anyone willing to step across the canvas.
"He’s had so many fights; he’s an eight-division world champion, he knows his way around the ring, he’s not a novice," Cordina added. "He’s been around the block; he’s boxed everybody."
Should the fight be finalized, it will form part of a monumental night of boxing in the Welsh capital, sharing a bill with the historic heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Discussing the main event itself, Cordina shared his thoughts on the dynamics between the two British heavyweight titans and dismissed the notion that Joshua enters the contest as a definitive underdog.
"You can never write off a heavyweight anyway, but especially when it’s Anthony Joshua," Cordina said. "It only takes one shot from him, and you’re in Barney Rubble [trouble]. They’re both going to go out there and go straight at it; they’re going to meet in the middle of the ring and just have a crack."
The anticipation surrounding Joshua versus Fury has been building for years within the global boxing community, though some pundits and fans have suggested the collision has arrived slightly later than initially desired. Cordina shares the sentiment that the fight should deliver an explosive spectacle rather than a tactical stalemate.
"Whether it goes down like that or not, I don’t know, but that’s what I’d like to happen, to see them have a shootout like in a Western," Cordina said. "It’d be an anti-climax otherwise. This fight has been talked about for years – and it’s probably come five years too late. I just believe that can’t be a bore fest. They’ve got to go out there and go at it."
